lopinavir and ritonavir, Kaletra (cont.)

Omudhome Ogbru, PharmD

Dr. Ogbru received his Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy in 1995. He completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Arizona/University Medical Center in 1996. He was a Professor of Pharmacy Practice and a Regional Clerkship Coordinator for the University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy from 1996-99.

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

DRUG INTERACTIONS: Kaletra interacts with many drugs. Some of the important interactions are mentioned below. Patients should consult their healthcare provider before combining any drug with Kaletra.

Kaletra should not be used together with amiodarone (Cordarone), quinidine (Quinaglute, Cardioquin), triazolam (Halcion), midazolam (Versed), pimozide (Orap),
ergotamine derivatives (for example, Ergostat), propafenone (Rythmol) and flecainide (Tambocor) because Kaletra increases the levels of these drugs in the body and as a result may lead to serious adverse effects of these drugs.

Kaletra may also prevent the break down of lovastatin (Mevacor),
simvastatin (Zocor), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and atorvastatin (Lipitor), causing their levels in the body to rise. This may increase the occurrence of muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis), which is a side effect of these drugs. Therefore, lovastatin and simvastatin should not be combined with Kaletra; the dose of rosuvastatin should not exceed 10 mg/day and the lowest dose of atorvastatin should be used.
The blood concentration of rifabutin (Mycobutin) and sildenafil (Viagra) can be increased by Kaletra. Therefore, the doses of rifabutin and sildenafil should be reduced.

The oral solution contains alcohol, which causes severe side effects when combined with metronidazole (Flagyl) or disulfiram (Antabuse).